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Chris Shimley and Top Fuel CrossFit – Fueling Future Firefighters

June 26, 2024 by Julia Papworth

In 2010, Chris Shimley began using CrossFit for off-season football training. 

The Top Fuel CrossFit owner and head coach from Valparaiso, IN, went on to qualify for Regionals six times. 

  • For nearly 15 years, Shimley has also served various athletes, from regional-level competitors to everyday fitness enthusiasts in his gym. 

But, there is another group that Shimley specializes in training — firefighters and other first responders.

Shimley jumped on an opportunity about four years ago to expand his work with this population.

  • “One of our members was a firefighter,” Shimley told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview, “and I reached out to him to connect with his department and market my business and CrossFit to him. They set up a meeting between the fire chief and me, and we chatted about doing a challenge with their department.”
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A post shared by PortageFirefightersLocal3151 (@portagelocal3151)

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The challenge was just the beginning.

  • “We wanted to work together on training firefighters. When a department hires a firefighter [a rookie or trainee], they send them to a program called the Career One Fire Academy, and they enroll in a 16-week course,” Shimley said.

The department does the program twice a year with 15-20 people in a group, and Shimley was tapped to aid in their physical training. 

  • Prospective firefighters train in a facility located near Top Fuel that includes a 20-acre public safety training campus, a four-story search and rescue tower, a live burn building, a vehicle extraction pad, and more.  

All the systems on campus are designed and manufactured to meet National Fire Protection Association requirements. (Head here to learn more about the facility.)

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Shimley has worked with a full range of prospective firefighters.

  • “I have some prospects that are fresh out of high school where they were the star linebacker on their football team for four years, and then I have some who have never touched a weight in their life,” Shimley said. “The beauty of it is we can adapt and scale endlessly to wherever they’re at.”

Keeping the vibe light is essential to Shimley, especially since the actual firefighting training can be physically and mentally draining. At its core, CrossFit should be fun.

  • “I tell them the most important piece of equipment they use daily is their own body. And not just for yourself but for the person standing next to you,” Shimley shared. “The better shape you can be in and physically prepared for, the safer you’re going to be for yourself in the field and then to help save other people’s lives.” 

The capacity to save lives by fighting a fire is one thing, but saving lives through general fitness as a firefighter is rarely addressed.

Shimley was shocked when he learned that the leading cause of death for firefighters was “heart-related disease as opposed to things that happened on the job.” 

  • “It blew my mind,” he said.

Life as a shift worker is challenging, especially as a firefighter.

  • “There is a vicious cycle here — when you are on shift, you can sit around for an extended amount of time and then get a phone call and rush off,” he noted. “Then, it is back to sitting around where you might not eat well. As a society, we need to work to break that cycle.”

To combat this, Shimley drills aerobic capacity. 

It’s not just the preparation for their career that Shimley values; it’s the ability to introduce them to fitness and change their lives so that they understand the overall importance of fitness for quality of life when they leave his facility.

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A post shared by Chris Shimley (@shimley14)

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Shimley strives to supplement the fire-specific training the recruits get at the Academy with movements that help ready them for the physical demands of their job via such things as odd objects and basic strength.

  • Shimley: “The 16 weeks I have with them is a good chance for them to kickstart their health and wellness. I’ve had guys at the end of the Academy who have lost 20 pounds and been introduced to fitness, and now it’s something they can maintain, either at the firehouse or on their own.”

Featured image: @portagelocal3151 / Instagram

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